The Mapua Malayan Colleges Laguna (MMCL) Wizards denied the De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) Green Stallions’ triumph in a tight showdown, securing 3-2 during the Southern Luzon Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SLCUAA) Season 26 men’s volleyball elimination round at the DLSL Sports Complex, Sept. 13.
The spellcasters remained firm under pressure to fend off the Stallions with MMCL Coach Alvin Manuyag emphasizing that it took determination, dedication, and discipline to earn the win.
“Actually, ang La Salle talaga ay number one [na] kalaban. Paghahandaan talaga. Malakas talaga sila. Para makuha namin s’ya, determination, dedication, at tsaka discipline,” Manuyad said.
At the first whistle, the Stallions immediately raised the stakes with relentless spikes to take a 7-3 lead. However, positioning errors and miscommunication allowed the Wizards to swing the momentum and seize a 17-16 advantage.
Both squads valiantly exchanged blows in a tense back-and-forth, but MMCL’s John Henrick Raquedan and Drew Oñate rose to the occasion with towering blocks that sealed the first set with a 31-29 win.
The unyielding Wizards stood firm as they absorbed the Steeds’ persistent spikes and reinforced attacks on the second set, answering with grit of their own to keep the next set at deadlocked, 4-4.
With confidence surging, the Stallions mirrored the sorcerers’ strategy which left the Wizards scrambling to compensate, closing out the set, 25-21.
The navy blue squad resisted the Stallions’ early onslaught at the start the third set, using rigid blocks that snatched them a 6-0 lead. Yet the green cavalry countered with hammering attacks that pierced the Wizards’ commanding defense, 17-12.
MMCL then rallied back point-by-point, leaning on their defensive discipline to counter the Stallions’ firepower and capitalize on the green trailblazer’s errors, 25-22.
Riding their flow, DLSL’s crushing volleys left the Wizards reeling as the Stallions trampled the mages’ frontline before exhaustion set in and hobbled several players, forcing a matchpoint at the fourth set, 25-19.
The final set opened with a tense deadlock as both sides fiercely traded blows before MMCL’s rotation miscue shifted the tide that cost them a point, 8-8.
The magicians refused to let the setback define the finish, firing a series of powerful smashes that stormed past the Stallions’ fortress, 15-13, clinching the hard-fought match, 3-2.
MMCL Captain Bjorn Erick Custodio credited his team’s endurance training under Coach Manuyag after the Stallions struggled to cope with exhaustion late in the fourth set, paving the way for victory.
“Talagang binugbog niya kami sa endurance at paglift ng weights kaya tumatag kami, considering sa ibang players ng La Salle ay pinupulikat na, while sa’min nalaban pa rin,” said Custodio.
The Wizards earned its first-ever win against the Stallions this season, driven by extra effort from players eager to cap their first win with a statement.
